She was trying to stop the bleeding. The cold London air was harsh at night, stinging her nose and she could feel the blood begin to dry as she ducked behind yet another alley. Well the blood was either drying or freezing.

She had stopped crying a few blocks back and was now only graced with the occasional hiccup or shudder. It had all happened so fast. She couldn't even remember how the argument initiated, but it had gotten out of hand rather quickly.

Nate- her older brother and guardian after the death of her Aunt Harriet- had been sitting on the couch drinking in their new London apartment when the fight erupted. She didn't remember what she said to him to get him so worked up, but whatever it was it must have been bad. He was of the couch within seconds, immediately sobered up

"What did you say?" The question came out in a garbled slur. She could still smell the booze on his breath, a common association with him since the death of their parents.

"I… I s-said-"But her answer was cut short as he had smacked her across the mouth.

She bit down instinctively, tasting blood. He rarely ever hit her, it had been months since the last time…

"You ungrateful brat" he sneered "never appreciating a thing I do for you. I think it's time you learn who's in charge here."

It was then that he pulled out his pocket knife. She saw her reflection in the blade. Fear clouded her gray eyes which were already brimmed with tears, but she refused to let them fall. He dug the knife into her shoulder blade, twisting it as he went. Tessa's screams still echoed in her ears. What happened after that was quite foggy. She remembered waking up in a small pool of blood, her ears were ringing and her left side of her face was sore to the touch. She had walked into the living room to find Nate snoring in a drunken sleep. Hate filled her eyes, clouding her vision. She tasted metal on the roof of her tongue. She had had enough of the abuse.

Dragging her feet slightly she made it to her room and shut the door. Unfortunately there was no lock on the inside; Nate had removed it when the first moved in, she supposed for times such as this one. She started to throw her few possessions into her measly duffle. In went a few pairs of jeans, two sweaters, a jumper, some tee's and her undergarments. Next went in her brush, a stick of deodorant, her toothbrush, and some toothpaste.

Instinctively Tessa reached her hand up to the angel around her neck. Feeling its steady ticking soothed her in a way she could never explain. She was nervous, she admitted to herself, she had tried to run away the first time Nate had hit her, but he had caught up with her and dragged her home. She was locked in her room for days without any food, but the occasional cup of water. Nate didn't want to kill her; only torture her. He only wanted to see her suffer.

She was so busy thinking she didn't hear the door open or see Nate come in.

Alright, so this in my first fanfiction. This was just a beginning chapter to set the stage but I enjoyed writing it. Reviews would be helpful: I'm all for constructive criticism.

Thanks for reading, I'll be uploading the new chapter sometime next week maybe.

Toddles